Carry On
by Alena S. Anigor
Summary: Sometimes it's hard to let go of the past, but in the end, you have to carry on... [Detective Boys] ficclet. Reviews are welcome.


Disclaimer: I'm not Gosho Aoyama, so clearly, Detective Conan isn't mine.

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**a/n:**

Warning: weirdness, OOC-ness and randomness ahead. My plunnies are evil and deranged.

No, really, they are...

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_**Carry On**_

_Detecive_ _Boys ficclet_

-by Alena S. Anigor

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He sighed heavily, walking up the concrete stairs; his hands in his pockets, fingers playing idly with the lighter inside.

He reached for a small box of cigarettes in the pocket of his shirt, retrieving one and lighting it up slowly, inhaling the addictive taste of tobacco and letting the smoke blow out of his mouth.

He said he would quit. Oh, well...

He stopped when he reached the first floor of the building, glancing at the doors with a sign plastered on them.

_Detective Agency._

He almost snorted.

Letting the lighter drop back into his pocket, he stared for a while at the opaque glass, his silhouette just a shadow across the solid surface.

Another forgetful client thanked him and paid him, another stupid and forgotten item found, another stupid, meaningless case solved.

He took a deep breath as if preparing himself for something then reached for the door handle and pressed, the doors creaking open.

The first thing he registered upon entering the office was the noise coming from the TV. He turned his head to look at it and, as presumed, found Genta lying in front of it, his legs crossed and his fingers pushing the buttons on a gaming consol almost brutally. He raised his eyebrows and deadpanned when he looked at the screen and saw that the scrawny looking opponent was beating the crap out of him.

The bulky young man swore, resisting the urge to kick the screen with a foot.

"You said you'd quit," A female voice spoke and he turned to look at the sofa, seeing only the tip of her head behind it, brown hair held back with a blue headband.

"How did you-"

"I can smell smoke," She replied and then lifted herself up a bit to turn her head and look at him disapprovingly. He just shrugged. "You know that's not healthy," She ventured, chiding him, her blue eyes gazing at him somewhat ruefully, "you almost resemble that old Mouri."

"It's my choice, Ayumi," He replied and the young woman just rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Fine, suit yourself."

Genta chose that moment to look at him with a pair of questioning eyes, turning the TV off and putting the consol down. "And, did you find it?"

Mitsuhiko nodded absentmindedly and sat on his chair behind the large desk by the window, glancing outside and staring at the street below indifferently, the cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah, the old man misplaced it and then forgot where he put it," He replied, his voice dull and his expression weary.

Genta and Ayumi exchanged odd looks, silence ensuing between them.

Genta turned around to turn the TV on again, just to add some noise in the uncomfortable atmosphere. Ayumi stared at Mitsuhiko's profile wistfully, watching the puffs of smoke circling around him.

She sighed heavily and looked at the slightly shabby carpet covering the floor, thinking about the old days.

She would always go back and think about the old days, about the glorious achievements of _Detective Boys_, with Conan-kun as the head of their little clique. She had always known that he was different, special...him and Ai-chan...That they belonged elsewhere...

And in the end, they _did _go elsewhere, abruptly, unexpectedly, without saying goodbye or telling them the reason why and where they left.

After that, there were no cases to solve, no kidnappers and killers to catch...no lost children or even cats to find...

There were no Detective Boys anymore...

"I wish Conan-kun were here," She half-whispered; Genta and Mitsuhiko both turning their attention to her. Mitsuhiko frowned.

"Not again," He muttered and propped his chin on his hand, observing the framed picture on his desk with annoyance evident on his face. Ayumi frowned, as well, but at his comment. "We've been through this before, don't start again."

"What? Don't tell me you don't miss them!" She exclaimed angrily, staring at him accusingly from the sofa. Mitsuhiko merely glanced at her before he looked at Genta who was staring solemnly at his own feet.

"I didn't say that," he replied firmly, rubbing the burnt cigarette against the bottom of his ashtray, not wanting to fight over the same thing over and over again. He was already tired of arguing with her over _Conan-kun_ and _Ai-chan. _

"But it's like you don't care about what happened to them!" The young woman yelled, making Genta look at them apprehensively, already knowing what was next.

Mitsuhiko straightened, his eyes flaring to life again.

"You're wrong, Ayumi! I do care what happened to them; it's them who didn't care about us! They betrayed us!" He shouted, making Genta cringe by the TV, the noise not helping him tune out their angry voices.

Ayumi glared at him. Mitsuhiko lowered his voice when he spoke again after a few moments of tense silence.

"Just remember who left without a word, Ayumi. That's all I'm going to say." He said, making the girl at a loss for words as she stared at him, her eyes wide and teary. She glanced at Genta as if asking him for some kind of support, but he just stared at the floor miserably, chewing on his bottom lip.

Uncomfortable silence ensued again, and Mitsuhiko exhaled slowly, feeling guilty for yelling at her after he glanced at her and saw her curled up on the sofa, wiping her eyes and sniffling softly.

"Ayumi," He said and got up from the chair, approaching her slowly until he reached the sofa and sat next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She wanted to push him away angrily but a part of her knew he was right and the other part was just too tired to argue.

"Why did they leave, Mitsuhiko?" She asked him quietly, glancing at him with red, puffy eyes, her eyes almost demanding an answer he couldn't give her. He just shook his head slowly and looked at Genta who looked at him dismally from the floor, busying himself by plucking the loose strands of the carpet.

"I don't know," He replied gravely, rubbing her shoulder slowly and trying to make her stop crying. "I guess...we'll never find out."

"But I want to know what happened to them!" She exclaimed again, her stubbornness making him sigh wearily.

"And then what?" He asked, observing the inner battle playing on her face, emotions running across her eyes, too fast for him to catch and read them all.

"I don't know," She whispered dejectedly, looking down, "I just...I just want it all to be like it was before."

Mitsuhiko stopped with his ministrations and let his hand slip down her arm, taking a deep breath, something around his heart clenching unpleasantly.

"That's the problem, Ayumi," he replied quietly, Genta raising his head at his words in mild curiosity. "Things can never go back to the way they were before...There is no Conan-kun or Ai-chan anymore," He ventured and she leaned into him, letting him hug her gently.

"And there are no Detective Boys..." Genta spoke finally after being silent for the whole time, making Mitsuhiko look at him with something akin to understanding.

No one spoke after that, leaving the modest looking office in silence once again.

Then, finally, Ayumi straightened in Mitsuhiko's embrace and wiped the remaining tears away; looking more like Ayumi they knew.

She looked at them both then smiled sheepishly, silently apologizing for bringing up sad memories again. Sometimes, she just couldn't help herself.

She missed the Detective Boys...She missed the exciting cases and mysteries...She missed her past and memories.

"I'm hungry," Genta grumbled and his stomach grumbled in agreement. Mitsuhiko deadpanned and sighed then got up and offered Ayumi his hand. She smiled softly and took it, letting him pull her up from the sofa.

"Come on," He said, going back to his desk to throw his jacket on and smiled at their questioning looks, "Let's celebrate at a nice restaurant with a nice dinner! After all, finding a lost, golden ring was not an easy case to crack!" He added with a note of sarcasm in his voice.

"I'm in!" Genta exclaimed automatically and hopped off the floor, turning the TV off. Ayumi smiled as well and nodded in agreement, taking her sweater and her purse with her.

Mitsuhiko waited for all of them to step out before he looked back at the falling night outside. His eyes scanned his chair and his desk and stopped on a small picture taken many years ago.

It was a picture of him, Genta and Ayumi, standing next to professor Agasa who was grinning happily at the camera. And in front of them, a small, serious looking girl was standing, next to a deadpanning bespectacled boy who was holding a newspaper article in his hands.

_Children saved the kidnapped boy! Kidnappers in jail! _

"Hey, Mitsuhiko!" Genta yelled from downstairs, him and Ayumi looking at him curiously, "You coming or not?"

"Yes, yes," He muttered and closed the door behind him before locking them. He stared thoughtfully at the sign on the glass for a few moments, before he started walking down the stairs, joining his partners in the hall; patting Genta on the back and linking arms with Ayumi.

And maybe, someday, he'll change the sign on the door from Detective Agency to Detective Boys again...

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And what happened to Conan/Shinichi and Ai/Shiho? Don't have a clue...The plunnies were unwilling to specify that...O.o;

For those who are wondering what age Ayumi, Mitsuhiko and Genta are – they're in their early twenties.


End file.
